Uncharted 2 Fanfiction - Aftermath Chapter One
by loz7619
Summary: What happens between when Nathan, Elena and Chloe emerge from Shambhala with Elena unconscious and when they are back in town with Tenzin and everyone is ok and back to normal? Nathan & Elena romance and Chloe & Nathan hurt/comfort. Multiple chapters to follow soon.
1. Chapter 1

Uncharted Fanfiction:

Aftermath – Chapter One

Description: What happens between when Nathan, Elena and Chloe emerge from Shambhala with Elena unconscious and when they are back in town with Tenzin and everyone is ok and back to normal? Nathan & Elena romance and Chloe & Nathan hurt/comfort. Multiple chapters to follow soon.

*Setting: At the end of Uncharted 2; Chloe and Nate barely escape the crumbling city of Shambhala with an unconscious Elena draped in Nathan's arms*

Nathan looks back at the fallen paradise crumbling around them and mutters to himself "Adios asshole".

He reaches Chloe and his eyes immediately shift to a bruised and bleeding Elena causing his adrenaline to spike higher than ever before.

"Damn it we gotta move faster!" Nathan exclaims as he scoops Elena up off the ground into his arms. She lets out a groan from the pain of being handled so quickly which is oddly comforting to Nate because it helps him know she is still alive. Yet, he can feel the life slowly draining from her with every step he takes.

His legs are burning like fire after nearly falling to his death escaping the crumbling bridge that led into the city, but he wills himself to keep going, he knows he has to keep going.

Nathan surfaces first from the secret entrance to the lost city with Chloe trailing close behind. Elena falls completely limp in his arms. Up until this point Nate could at least feel her breathing, it was the only thing that was keeping him going.

He found a broken column and gently set her down, her now unconscious body heavier than before.

"Oh, no" Chloe says, her eyes filled with deep concern.

Nathan holds Elena's hand and kneels down next to her.

"Elena?" He asks, desperately hoping for a response. "Oh, God no...Elena, hold on, alright? Just hold on...C'mon stay with us! You're going to be okay, alright?" Nathan tries to convince himself. "You're gonna be fine" he says, losing faith in his own words. "You're gonna be just fine." he says once again, this time his emotions triumph over his denial and claim complete control.

"Elena don't do this...Elena!" the gravity of it all comes crashing down on him as reality sets in and the adrenaline rush transforms quickly into panic.

Chloe manages to recover a radio off one of the bodies left behind from a previous gunfight with Lazarevich's men on the way to the entrance.

"It's no good, there's no signal. The wreckage must have caused an interference" considering the earth quaked in all of the surrounding area.

Nate heard an engine approaching. "Get down!" he motioned to Chloe while instinctively reaching for his gun preparing for yet another fight. He had plenty motivation to take out his anger on who ever came his way.

It was a small scouter troop of a few of Lazarevich's men sent to recover the sapphire from Shambhala upon its discovery. Chloe looked over at Nate only to see his eyes filled with blind rage as anger took complete control over him causing him to lunge out of cover.

"I'm going to kill you, you sons of bitches!"

Chloe had seen Nathan kill many men before, but never had she seen him lose his head like this, putting himself directly in the line of fire like he had a death wish of his own. "Nate, look out!"

The gunman points directly at his head but Nate keeps charging full speed, the voice of Harry Flynn ringing in his head. "Pity he took the pin..."

Nathan uses fallen debris to spring board himself into the air with his fist cocked back and fully loaded ready to deliver a deadly blow to the gunman's face. Shooting him would be too easy, he thought. He wanted him to suffer the way they made Elena suffer. He was going to make him pay for what he did, what Flynn did, what Lazarevich did, it all blurred together at this point.

"No!" Chloe yelled.

The sound of the gun shots pulled him out of his thoughts back to reality. Just as he was ready to accept death, Chloe had shot the gunman causing his shot to change its trajectory and pierce Nathan through the side of his stomach, reopening the wound given to him on the train by Harry Flynn.

Nathan cries out in pain falling to the ground hard as his blood begins to paint the snow red. The wound was already raw and had barely begun to heal. Just as Chloe rushes to his aid, a jeep roars in full speed running over the last of Lazarevich's men and Tenzin jumps out. Tenzin had felt the earth quake and came to investigate and search for survivors in need of help. Chloe hands Nate off to Tenzin and Nate's eyes start to blur as he slowly begins to lose consciousness from excruciating pain upon the onset of all of the blood pouring out from his already gaping wound.

Chloe informs Tenzin while motioning to Elena. "Quickly, her time is running out. We have to get them both medical attention."

Her voice sounds faint and he can just barely make out the sight of Chloe moving Elena into the Jeep before everything goes black.

*In a dream state, Nathan can't stop reliving his greatest fear*

"We can still stop him"...* _she was so innocent_ *, he thought.

"Elena, don't" - he tossed and turned in his sleep, dreaming his words out loud, reliving his worst nightmare.

"No, we can help you"...* _so gentle and kind of heart, she just wanted to help_.* His thoughts tormented him.

"Pity he took the pin"...

"GET BACK!" he yelled, springing awake and aggressively sitting up in his bed causing him to tear his freshly sewn stitches and double over in pain, cradling his wounded side with both arms.

"Woah woah woah sweetheart, take it easy. Are you here with me now?" Chloe reaches out and puts her arm around Nathan's.

Nathan grabs Chloe's arm back with a fierce grip and holds on tightly, staring intently into her eyes with a look of fear she has never seen in him before, his body trembling. "Where is she?"

Chloe slowly looks to a neighboring hut, then back at Nate knowing he is stubborn and will not rest as per the healers orders.

"Is she...?" Nate softly asks, his voice is now pathetic as he is afraid to find out if she is alive. He had no concept of time not knowing how long he was out himself.

"She's alive" Chloe responds, but her head hangs lower than usual.

Nate quickly reacts to her shift in tone "How is she?"

Subtly shaking her head in remorse, hating to have to be the bearer of bad news "Not good".

Nathan pushes himself to get up, grinding his teeth to get through the shooting pain throughout his body as it fights him to stay down.

"Nate you need to rest you've pulled open your stitches in your sleep, you..."

He abruptly cuts her off mid-sentence..."I have to see her".

His body feels boiling hot from the fever fighting off the likely infection from not properly caring for his gunshot wound and allowing it to get filthy. He stumbles over to the tent where they were keeping Elena, leaving a trail of his blood droplets in the snow behind him from his torn open stitches.

He reaches to pull the tent curtain open and hesitates for a moment, afraid of what he will find inside. As he slowly peels open the curtain, his heart drops instantly like a weight he had never felt before. His pain relocates all at once, claiming his entire chest as he sees Elena wrapped almost completely from head to toe in blood soaked bandages, pale as the freshly fallen snow, her face covered in beads of sweat and her body wrapped in a thick woolen blanket. He knew she was fighting for her life.

Chloe concerned for his health and watching him fall down and get back up more than once, followed him in. "They're saying the next few days are very important. They've been closely monitoring her since she arrived here". She helped him over to a chair next to Elena's bedside and sat him down.

"Nate..." He cut her off again. "Chloe, don't" he hissed. After seeing how she handled the whole Jeff situation, he knew what she was going to say next would be too much for him to bear.

Hurt by his tone and the obvious feeling that she was not wanted, Chloe regrettably turned to leave. "I'll give you some time alone".

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2

Uncharted Fanfiction

Aftermath – Chapter Two

Description: Nathan battles the internal struggle inside resulting from the consequences of his choices and actions as a treasure hunter, putting those he loves the most in danger. A much needed friend arrives. Nate & Elena Romance, Sully & Nathan Hurt/Comfort.

Setting: Tenzin's village in Tibet atop a snowy mountain peek inside the healer's medical hut/tent that housed Elena after she was hit by a grenade set off by Harry Flynn.

He looked down at Elena, she was so still it made him uneasy. He leaned forward and slowly reached out his hand to touch her, but hesitated at first. She looked so frail, he was afraid of hurting her more than she was already hurt to begin with. The internal conflict was killing him, but he had to feel her breathing, he had to know she was still alive after everything. He gently put his hand on her chest and felt the smallest rise and fall. Her breath was so short and subtle, it was clear she was in a lot of pain. Confirming she was alive, he let out a sigh of relief allowing his tense muscles to relax slightly, but only for a moment.

He hunched over in his chair, leaned his elbows on her bedside and took her hand in his, pressing his forehead to meet her hand. A wave of guilt and shame washed over him all at once as tears welled up in his eyes. He couldn't fight back his feelings any longer. "I did this to you. It was my fault, all of it. I should've never dragged you into this. You're here fighting for your life because of me and my bad decisions." He could barely talk at this point as his sadness and sobbing overwhelmed him "I'm sor-ry…I'm s-o sor-ry…"

The tent curtain opened and Chloe slowly poked her head in. She had never seem him like this and was conflicted with emotions of her own. She had grown very fond of Nate, heck she might even say she loved him, but she knew his heart belonged to Elena whether he was willing to admit it or not. The look in his eyes when he saw her in Nepal, there was no denying it. "Nate?" she said meekly now making her presence known, worried he would bark at her again. "Nate darling we really need to patch up your wound and fix your stitches. Come on, let's get you some clean clothes and some food. You haven't eaten in over a day." she reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged her hand off his shoulder, not once taking his eyes off Elena. "I'm not leaving her".

"You're going to bleed out!" Chloe argued. "We need to treat the infection before it gets worse, not to mention we can smell you from a mile away"

"Just leave me alone" he said, his voice sounded defeated like his spirit had been broken. No jokes, no witty remarks or clever come backs, just utter defeat.

"But.."

He cut her off "Chloe just go!" he said angrily, ashamed to have anyone see him like this.

Chloe resigned her efforts and stepped outside. She needed a new plan since she couldn't get through to him. She tried to get the radio she pulled from one of Lazarevitch's men to function. Tenzin saw her struggle and pointed to a nearby hut which contained a longwave radio capable of communicating across mountains. In a desperate final attempt she radioed the only other person she knew who could get through to Nate.

"Victor, is that you? How fast can you get to the Himalayas?" she said with a sense of urgency.

"What in the hell happened? Did you find the stone? Where's Nate?" his questions in rapid succession one after another. After he parted ways with Chloe and Nate in Borneo he had no contact up until now and no idea what was going on or what could possibly motivate Chloe to get in touch with him.

"I'm sending you our coordinates, you're going to need some sort of truck to get up here. Follow the train tracks past the wreckage and you'll find us"

"Wreckage?! God damn it what in the hell did Nate blow up this time?" he jokes to cover up his worry, fearing that Nate has gotten himself in over his head.

"Just get here as fast as you can, it's Nate he needs you" she pleads. "Bring whatever medical supplies you can get your hands on"

"Medical supplies? Shit. Is he is in one piece?" the worry becomes more real and he fears the worst.

"He's alive and holding on, but he won't let us help him. It's Elena…"

Sully interrupts her shocked, "Elena? As in Elena Fisher foreign correspondent, the journalist? That Elena? How the hell did she get involved in all of this?"

"It's a long story. We ran into Elena in Nepal and Nate insisted on taking her with us, Nate got shot trying to rescue me, we found the Cintamani stone, Elena was way too close to a grenade and the shrapnel has left her fighting for her life. We're not sure she's going to make it. Victor please just hurry, there isn't much time before…" the radio cut short and they lost contact.

"Shit." Sully had a feeling Elena meant more to Nate than he was willing to let on, even though he had never said it after he left her. "Hang on kid, I'm coming."

Two days went by before a truck with a small plow attached to the front made its way into the village carrying Sully and the few medical supplies he could gather. Chloe rushed over "Victor, Thank God you're here".

"Where is he?" he cut to the chase, worried about what he might find next.

"This way…in here" she points to the medical tent harboring a still unconscious Elena. They managed to re-stitch Nathan's bullet wound after he drifted off from blood loss and exhaustion until he woke abruptly again shoving them off of him before they could clean it up properly and treat the infection.

Sully made his way into the medical tent where he saw Nate with his back turned, slumped over in a chair at Elena's bedside barely holding himself up, his head held heavy in one hand and Elena's hand lifeless and limp in the other. He looked over at Elena, it was worse than he had thought. Her complexion was pale as a ghost, she was barely breathing intermittently and remained in a comatose state.

"Jesus kid, what the hell happened to you two?"

Hearing Sully's voice for the first time since Borneo snapped Nathan out of his trance and he broke eye contact from Elena for the first time. He turned around to make sure he wasn't delirious as he had been since his fever had gotten worse and started to play mind tricks on him.

"Sully?…You're…you're here? But how? Wait a second, how do I know you're real?" he questioned himself making it all up in his mind.

Sully walked over to Nate and playfully flicked him on the forehead.

"Ow!"

"That real enough for you?"

His tone of voice took a complete turn and almost sounded gleeful "Sully! What are you doing here?"

It was the first time his voice sounded somewhat normal and almost hopeful since the grenade went off in Shambhala and everything took a turn for the worse.

"You tell me. One minute I'm suckin' on a cigar in Australia sipping on whiskey and the next minute Chloe's radioing me telling me all sorts of crazy shit like how you found the Cintamani stone, got shot somewhere along the way and now this." He motioned to Elena "How did she even…"

He cut him off "- We ran into each other in Nepal. She was trailing Lazarevitch with her camera man Jeff for a story. I couldn't just leave them there, the city was in civil war. After Flynn shot me I ended up here. Schafer warned us about the dangers of the resin and I saw it first-hand. I had to stop Lazarevitch, I had to end it. When we found the stone I realized it wasn't a sapphire but more resin from the tree of life. Before I could go after him, Flynn dropped the grenade and Elena…" he choked up "she couldn't get out of the way in time and now…" he couldn't finish the sentence. "Sully, I don't know what to do. This is all my fault, she's like this because of me".

"Nate, There was nothing else you could have done. She would have gone after him with or without you. At least bringing her with you, you could look out for her.."

He interrupted " - but that's the thing, I failed. I should've been able to protect her. I should've never let her continue to pursue Lazarevitch knowing how dangerous he was after seeing him murder Jeff in cold blood. And Flynn" anger coursed through him momentarily and lit a fire in his eyes "I should've killed him when I had the chance" his anger fizzled out as quickly as it came and turned into regret "Schafer was right, everything I touch turns to shit."

Sully sat down next to Nate. "Listen kid, there's only so much you can do. You can't do it all." At this point he could smell the stench wafting off of Nate who hadn't showered in days or even changed his clothes since Shambala. "Jesus you stink!".

Nathan just stared at Elena intently, lost in his thoughts wondering if he'd ever hear her voice again, her laugh, all the things about her that made her special, that made her the only person who could do this to him, the only person who could make him feel this way.

Sully got a closer look at him. His face was grimy, caked in a mixture of blood, sweat and tears. His eyes were heavy and weary with bags underneath from lack of sleep and a persistent high fever. He looked down and saw his shirt torn in many places, but what was most unnerving was the large blood stain soaked through both of his shirts from where he was shot.

Disturbed, Sully asked "How long have you let it sit like that?" he placed a hand on Nathan's shoulder bringing him back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Your gunshot wound, let me see it"

"Sully - " he pulled away as Sully drew closer to examine the wound.

He cut him off, now angry with him because he knew he was not taking care of it. "- Ah, ah, Nate!" his voice was strict as he pulled Nathan's shirt up high enough to see the damage. His shirt stuck to the wound and peeled some of the dead flesh off that was clearly festering from infection surrounding the stitches that were barely holding him together, preventing him from bleeding out.

Nate flinched and grunted at the feeling of his dead skin peeling off and tried to resist Sully. Sully pulled his shirts off completely, they were heavy, dripping with blood.

The wound was surrounded by inflamed tissue, and had shades of red from blood both old and new, white from the pus of the infection and purple from bruising while forcing his body to perform far past he should have.

"C'mon, we have to get this cleaned up and treated pronto! Let's go, you need some fresh air" he tried to lift Nate but he resisted again.

"Sully I have to be here, I can't leave her like this. What if she -"

He cut him off before he could finish his sentence "-Nate, you're gonna be no good to her dead if you keep this shit up. Getting yourself killed isn't gonna help her kid. It's a miracle you've lasted this long with the way that thing looks." he put the back of his hand on Nate's forehead "and god damn it you're lucky your fever hasn't killed you yet either."

Nate just stared at her, not moving.

"Five minutes, can you give me that? I'll have it cleaned up in no time and you can come right back, I promise."

"I guess..."

"Alright, up we go" Sully put Nate's arm around him and his arm up and around Nate's shoulder and lifted him up. He groaned involuntarily. He hadn't moved in days and his body protested the sudden movement. The wound, now worse than ever, was searing and the pain radiated throughout his entire body, throbbing and aching. His fever was so high, the room started to spin and he lost control of his movement. He stumbled trying to take the first step and all of his weight collapsed onto Sully.

"I gotcha, you're alright" he says more to convince himself than Nate. He knew his friend was in bad shape, worse than he's ever seen him. He managed to get Drake outside and sat him down in the sun on a neighboring stoop. Sully had some medical training from his time in the Navy and knew how to treat a wound. He took out his medical supplies, strapped on latex gloves and got to work on cleaning it out and treating the infection. Chloe, shocked to see Nate outside, walked over.

"How on Earth did you manage to -"

"-Chloe" Sully interrupted, not wanting to jinx having just convinced a stubborn Nate to cooperate even momentarily. "be a doll and get me the antibiotics and pain killers? and some food and water to go with it won't ya?"

She took the hint and complied quickly. Nathan squinted, he hadn't been outside or seen the sun in days.

"How do you manage to get yourself into all this?" Sully said to Nate to make sure he was still with him. "I mean really, I leave you alone for five minutes and you go ahead and wreck a train, get yourself shot, level a lost city all in what, a matter of days? Has to be some kind of record!" he tried to make light of an otherwise grim situation hoping for a characteristic wise-ass retort from Nate, only to be met with his silence.

He was out of it, lost in his thoughts and reluctant to be away from Elena in case she were to wake up. He needed to be there when she woke up...if she woke up...

"She really means that much to you, huh?"

Nate looked at him speechless, the question took him back and clearly made him think.

Chloe returned, two bowls of stir-fry vegetables over rice with chicken, one in each hand and the requested medicine in her pockets. She handed one to Sully and one to Nathan.

"I'm not hungry" he said handing the bowl back to her.

"Like hell you're not." Sully took the bowl from Chloe and handed it back to him. He motioned for her to give them some space. He knew Nathan was vulnerable and feeling reckless.

He resisted. "Nate, eat the god damn food" he said shoving it back into his hands not accepting no for an answer. "And clean up your face" he handed him a washcloth and a bowl of soapy water.

Nate surrendered knowing that Sully wasn't going to let this one go. He took a forkful and put it in his mouth, then blotted the washcloth in the water and cleaned up his face until the once white washcloth turned a mixture of red and brown. He didn't realize how hungry he was until he tasted food for the first time in days. He quickly finished off the bowl.

"That's it" Sully said, pleased to see him comply for once. He was able to distract Nate long enough to start working on cleaning out and disinfecting the wound while he ate.

Sully had to squeeze out the pus and remove the dead and rotting skin so he could treat the wound. "Ah! Shhhit!" Nate shrieked, the disinfectant stung like hell. The bullet had passed through him, but he saw that there were three shards of metal debris lodged near the entry point. "This is going to hurt", Sully said taking off his belt and handing it to him. "Put this in your mouth".

"How do you always manage to make everything sound so dirty?" Nathan teased, knowing this was going to suck. It was the first wise crack he had made and gave Sully some hope that his friend was still in there. Nathan wrapped the belt around his fists and bit down on the belt preparing himself for what was to come.

Sully took out the surgical tweezers and forceps and carefully reached in and grabbed the first metal shard. As he slowly pulled it out, Nate bit down on the belt hard and let out a muffled scream. Seeing him in this kind of pain was killing Sully, especially since he was the one causing it at the moment. But he knew it had to be done, it had to be him and it had to be now.

He retracted and placed the metal shard on a small tray next to him. "That's one, two more to go". He went back in, Nate's eyes were glaring down at the tools, hating their existence. He pulled on the second shard and Nate bit down even harder, this time screaming louder in anguish, so loud that a flock of nearby birds got spooked and took off. "Hang in there kid", Sully could barely take it anymore, but it was either this or let the infection spread and his fever slowly kill him.

"Sully I - I can't…please stop" he begged. It was torture, like getting shot all over again, blood seeping out with each shard he removed making him light headed. He had already lost so much blood. "Just one more Nate, you can do it". He reached in for the last shard, the biggest one of all three. As he pulled, Nate cried out in agony and bit down so hard he almost bit through the belt. "Got it!" Sully exclaimed and turned to place the final shard in the tray along with the other two. Nate's vision started to blur fast, his body giving up on him. "You did it kid!...kid?" he looked over at Nate and saw him about to collapse. He couldn't take the pain anymore. "Oh God, NATE!" Sully's voice slowly faded away along with his vision and he passed out in pain as his head hit the pavement.


	3. Chapter 3

Uncharted Fanfiction

Aftermath: Chapter Three

Description: Nathan struggles with feelings he's been avoiding for far too long. Elena takes a turn for the worse.

*He was back inside his dreams which felt more like nightmares*

"Compassion is the enemy, mercy defeats us." Lazarevitch's words haunted him.

"Killing us won't get you anywhere" Elena tries to reason with Lazarevitch. * _she's always looking for the good in everyone, even assholes like him…or me*_ he thought.

"Killing him yes, but you? Lazarevitch points his gun at Elena closing in on her but not before Nate steps in between them.

"You hurt her, you'll get nothing from me." Nate threatens.

"Well then it appears we are at a stalemate, unless I add another pawn to the board. Bring her in!" Chloe is thrown into the room leaving Elena on one side of Nate and Chloe on the other, a gun pointed at both of their heads.

"Shhhit" he brings his fingers to his eyes at the crease of his brow not knowing what to do. * _Think Nate, think!*_

"Who would you sacrifice and who would you save? This one?" he points the gun at Elena "or maybe this one?" he points the gun at Chloe.

He had been avoiding his feelings far too long. Chloe on the one hand satisfied his wild side. Her unpredictable nature excited him and kept him on his toes. But she wasn't trustworthy and it was clear she was in it only for herself most of the time. And Elena, well…she made him feel like he had never felt before, like he was more than just some treasure hunter, some thief only looking to get rich quick. She gave him purpose, a reason behind all that he did. Sure they argued, but she challenged him to be a better man.

His heart was torn between the thrill of discovery and the life of a treasure hunter or the life of a good man, something he didn't always think he was until he met Elena.

"Enough!" The conflict rose within him, it was enough to bring him back into the real world and finally wake him up. He opened his eyes and blinked slowly a few times to clear away the haze. When he came to, he found himself inside in a bed next to Elena's, Sully at his bedside asleep in his chair, feeling guilt for causing him so much pain. He looked down at himself and noticed he had new clothes on and bandages around his torso to cover his wound. "Sully?"

Sully startled awake "Nate! Oh thank God" he let out a sigh of relief. "Here", he handed him antibiotics and pain killers along with some water. "Take these". Nate reluctantly swallowed them down. "You owe me a belt" Sully said trying to make light of all that had just happened.

"Did…did you undress me? Sully, I like you but not _that_ much". There was that wise-ass humor Sully had known so well. It helped put him at ease after a long night of waiting not knowing if he was going to be ok. "Sully, what happened? his head was still groggy "How long was I out?"

"Nate, you don't remember?" he sounded concerned.

He shook his head confused.

"You've been out for the better half of a day" Sully said with a tone of worry in his voice Nate wasn't used to hearing. It was uncomfortable for them both.

"And you've just been watching me sleep, kinda creepy don't ya think?" he tried to break the tension. Sully rolled his eyes and lit a cigar to take away some of the stress of yesterday's events. "At least I don't snore in my sleep" he returned fire.

Nathan tried to recall the last few days, his fever had finally broke and his body begun to heal now that he was able to sleep after getting the help he needed. Chloe walked in after hearing their voices. "Glad to see someone's back to his old self"

"Thanks Chloe…" Nate replied.

"I was talking about Victor, you had him worried sick" Chloe redirected the conversation having a hard time processing the fact that Nate could have died if Sully didn't get there in time and that she couldn't help him when he needed it the most.

"Aw Sully, I'm touched", there was his sarcastic charm again. It was Drake's defense mechanism when his emotions became too hard for him to handle. Sully was like a father to him, in fact he was the only father figure he ever had in his life considering his own father abandoned him and his brother Sam at an orphanage after his mother died when they were young. Knowing he had Sully worried over him troubled Nate. He didn't like feeling like he was burdening anyone.

"Nate, you almost gave me a goddamn heart attack", Sully's tone was more serious and Nate knew he had really scared him this time.

It had been five days since they emerged from Shambhala and there was still no sign of improvement from Elena. The blast over pressure had damaged her internally including her ears, lungs, and intestinal tract and she had thermal burns from the explosion in addition to the shrapnel which penetrated her head, chest, and abdomen resulting in significant blood loss. They were able to remove most of the shrapnel from her body and clean out her wounds, but she had lost a lot of blood and they were running out of equipment and running out of time.

She had an IV hooked up to her, dripping fresh blood into her system. They were in the middle of a blood transfusion that they had started while Drake was passed out. It was better off that way considering he would have only gotten in the way.

"What did I miss?" Nate said after seeing it all.

"Blood transfusion. We're lucky Chloe is a universal donor." Sully caught him up to speed and gave him a look Nate understood without needing to hear it. He had been very short with Chloe lately and he knew she was only trying to help.

He tried apologizing "Chloe, I.." but he only managed to get out two words before Elena started convulsing, her body rejecting the blood and her immune system attacking itself, confused by the foreign substance now invading her veins.

Within seconds, she was swarmed by many Tibetan healers and doctors that were nearby monitoring other patients who had been affected by the attack on their town earlier that week.

Nate ran over to Elena faster than Chloe or Sully could find him after they both looked at Elena and realized something was wrong. "What's happening? What's wrong with her? Please!" Nate tried desperately to make his way through the doctors to get to her. They pushed him away, muttering what could only be curse words in Tibetan, motioning angrily towards Chloe and Sully as if to say " _get him out of here now_!" Chloe and Sully grabbed him on either side and tried to pull him towards the door, but despite both their efforts, Drake was stronger, motivated by the fear of losing her and the guilt of it being his fault.

"Let me go!" he fought back aggressively. "Dammit kid, get out of the way!" Sully shouted, but it was as if Nate didn't even hear him. He summoned all the strength he could muster and ripped out of their grasp. The doctors were busy trying to stabilize Elena when Nate broke through again. He needed to see her, he needed her to know he was there for her.

"Aw, screw this!" Sully grabbed a nearby copper candlestick and whacked Nate over the back of the head.

"Oooowww" Nate grabs the back of his head with his hand and stumbles a few feet sideways. Stunned, he looks over at Sully "Sully, what the hell?!"

"Damn, I thought that would knock you out for sure." Sully replied.

Nate looked at him offended.

"What? You don't listen! Now get out of here and let them do what they have to so that they can save her damn life, you idiot!" Sully stood between Nate and Elena, candlestick still at the ready for another round.

Chloe pulled open the tent curtain for him, sarcastically motioning to show him the way out.

He sneered, curling his lip in disdain knowing he had lost the right to be around her. * _Stupid Nate, that was stupid*_ he thought as he retreated out of the tent, escorted by Chloe and Sully and they all sat outside around the fire.

Nate had gotten up almost instantly. He couldn't stand not knowing what was going on and was pacing around anxiously, his hands nervously kept busy.

"You're driving me nuts! I'll go in and check on her, alright?!" Sully said frustrated with Nate and worried as well about Elena.

Nate walked over as if to come too. "Ah, ah! I still don't trust you. You wait here." he handed the candlestick to Chloe.

"Nate darling please come sit down by the fire, you're going to freeze to death over there." Chloe patted the spot next to her with her hand, inviting him over to sit next to her. His adrenaline had kept him from feeling the numbness in his toes and fingers from the cold. He yielded and sat down next to her putting his hands up to the warm fire.

She looked over at him as he tried to hide his body shivering, trembling in fear, anger, and exhaustion, realizing how cold he was. "Nate, take a second and calm down, you're shaking."

He recalled how he was in the middle of an apology before all of this happened. "Chloe I'm sorry about before, I was being an asshole when you were only trying to help." his voice softened towards her.

"It's alright. It's been a long week and you've been through a lot, we all have" she put her hand on his knee trying to enjoy having him to herself beside her for the moment.

He didn't move, he just stared into the fire memorized thinking of all the possibilities of what Sully might say when he came back. She looked at his shirt and noticed some blood had seeped through where his bullet wound was. He hadn't exactly taken it easy like he was told, putting some stress on the healing process.

"I don't think it's supposed to do that" she gestured at the blood stain on his shirt.

"Huh?" he looked at her confused, then followed her gaze to his abdomen realizing what she was talking about. "Oh, that. It's nothing".

"Nate I'm sorry, it's just Harry…he came up behind me so fast and…I wish you hadn't come after me but I'm glad you did" she reached out and took his hand in hers hoping to elicit a response from him.

This time, Nate's body reacted to her touch and a shiver went up his arm. He had started this whole expedition with Chloe and they had been intimate in the past, but this time felt different. He had forgotten everything that happened leading up to this point until now.

He felt awkward, he needed to find a way to retrieve his hand subtly. "Don't mention it" he gave her a half-hearted smile, squeezed her hand once and let go.

She had sensed that something had changed in Nate ever since they ran into Elena in Nepal, but she had to be sure. She moved in closer to him, "Well I guess I'll just have to find a way to make it up to you" she leaned in closer bringing her face towards his going in for a kiss. It all happened so fast, faster than Nate could realize or process what she was trying to do. Just as she was about to make contact, Sully came running out of the tent "Nate, come quick!" He jumped up not knowing what to expect and ran over to meet Sully, leaving Chloe behind.

"What?! What's going on? Is she ok?!" every possible scenario ran through his head in a flash and he feared the worst.

"Get over here, it's Elena…she's awake!"


	4. Chapter 4

**Uncharted Fan fiction Chapter Four**

 **Aftermath**

Nathan ran over to meet Sully at the entrance to the medical tent, tripping over himself on the way after hearing Elena was finally awake. After all this time and everything that happened including the most recent scare where he really thought he was going to lose her, he had to see it with his own eyes to believe it.

"She's still a little out of it, but she's awake now". Sully held the tent curtain open for him.

He was nervous to the point where his mouth was dry and salivating more than usual to compensate. His heart was beating fast, so fast he felt like it was going to beat right out of his chest. He swallowed hard, took a deep breath to try and calm his racing heart and slowly walked in, not knowing what to expect or what to say. His eyes met Elena's and his whole body froze.

"Hi" Elena said softly, smiling at his presence.

The sound of her voice was soothing, soft as the morning sun peeking through the mountain tops, and in an instant, all of his fear, all of his anger, all of his regret and guilt vanished as if a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders.

He walked over to her bedside and pulled the nearby chair up close so he could sit beside her. He studied her, making sure it was all real and he wasn't dreaming again. Some color had returned to her once pale face, leaving her cheeks rosy from the cold and her recent fever breaking after the allergic reaction during the blood transfusion. Her eyes were still a bit hazy after being on many strong pain killers, but she was looking into Nate's eyes which for him pierced right into his soul. It was something only she was capable of doing to him, making him feel vulnerable which, for Nate, usually led to hiding his feelings with sarcasm.

"Hey stranger" he said sarcastically, still feeling incapable of forming a coherent sentence.

She played along, sensing his sarcasm, knowing it was his form of defense against acknowledging his emotions. "Do I know you?" she looked at him, waiting to see his reaction.

His heart sunk. "Elena it's me, Nate?" his voice sounded worried.

She looked at him confused. "I don't know any Nate", keeping a straight face was killing her.

He started to get nervous. "C'mon, we found El Dorado and Shambhala together? I rescued you both times?" he paused between questions desperate for her to remember. He made his part in their adventures sound more heroic to feed his own ego and compensate for what really happened.

"You mean you abandoned me to find El Dorado with Sully so you could keep the treasure to yourself and almost left me for dead in Shambhala" she was quick with a comeback.

"That's not funny!" Nate scoffed upon learning she was bluffing the whole time.

"No, what's funny is you pretending to play the hero!" she laughed, pleased by his emotional reaction. He rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you have done much worse" she giggled, proud she got him back. He gave in and laughed with her, just happy to see her awake again after so long. Their laughter subsided slowly.

"Hey there cowboy" she said in a sweet, welcoming tone smiling at him.

"Welcome back" he said coyly and returned her smile with his own side smile.

She looked at him and noticed the blood stain that had seeped through his shirt from once again over exerting himself and pulling on his stitches. "What happened to you?" her tone shifted to concern.

"What, this?" he looked down and back at her. "Nothing that won't heal" he couldn't believe after all she'd been through she was worried about his injury which was minor compared to hers. "What about you? How are you feeling?" he anxiously waited for her response hoping it would calm his nerves that had been on edge since Shambhala.

"Oh you know, I'm still in one piece aren't I?" she joked because she knew she almost wasn't when the grenade went off.

"How ya feeling darlin'?" Sully walked in and said boisterously with a cigar hanging out of the side of his mouth.

"Sully!" Elena tried to sit up to greet him from afar, forgetting she hadn't moved in over a week. Her wounds, her sore muscles, and her bruised and battered internal organs quickly reminded her. She fought to avoid screaming out in pain and instead aggressively inhaled through clenched teeth and wrapped her arms around her abdomen, cradling her wounds with her arms. It was enough to make Nate spring up out of his chair to help her.

Chloe had followed Victor in quietly as to not be noticed right away. "Take it easy sunshine, you've only just regained consciousness" she said, still keeping a respectful amount of distance.

"How long was I out?" Elena looked up at Nate. He was having a hard time processing it all and found himself speechless when she looked directly into his eyes. She was awake, she was alive, and after all this time.

"It's been over a week since Shambhala". Chloe informed her after seeing Nate in a stupor and unable to answer her question.

"Over a week? Oh no, Schafer!" her voice sounded panicked and she attempted to get up as if to go recover his body herself. She didn't want to leave his body after he died, but at the time they had no choice.

Nate motioned for her to stay in bed, "Elena, it's ok. A few of us took a trip and recovered his remains. We brought him back to the village, gave him a proper burial and held a small memorial service for him while you were...you know" he explained to calm her down, not liking seeing her work herself up in such a fragile state.

Relieved to hear Schafer wasn't just left there, she laid back down in her pillow.

"You really gave us quite the scare" Sully addressed Elena, came up behind Nate and put his arm around his shoulder with a playful grin on his face. He knew Nate wouldn't want Elena to know how her almost dying had really made him feel. Yet Sully, knowing his best friend, sensed that this girl was different than all the others and he was rooting for them both to figure it out in their own time.

Chloe, still keeping her distance, saw how Nate had been around Elena and knew it was time for her to let him go. He had never looked at her the way he looked at Elena. Her and Nate never really talked about their relationship after they ran into Elena and Jeff in Nepal and everything that led up to discovering and destroying Shambhala. But now, seeing his face light up around her told her everything she needed to know to make the decision. She only hoped that one day, someone special might look at her the same way Nate looked at Elena.

Elena's eyes fought to stay awake, the pain from her wounds in combination with the many pain killers and herbal medicines she was on made her very drowsy very fast. Sully seeing this motioned for everyone to leave to allow her to rest "Get some rest darlin', we'll see you in the morning" Sully, Chloe and Nate began to walk outside.

"Nate? Wait." Elena used the last of her energy to call on him before he made it out of the tent.

"Yeah? You ok?" he looked back at her, still on edge.

"Yeah it's just..." she paused to think of how she was going to phrase what she wanted to say next, leaving Nate anxious thinking something was wrong.

"What? What is it?" he started to panic a little, the thought of her convulsing, on the brink of death still fresh in his mind. It was a miracle she survived it all.

"Will you..." she hesitated "Will you stay with me tonight?" she was afraid that if she fell asleep she might not wake up again.

His eyes softened upon hearing her request. Relieved, he said in a soothing voice "Of course".

He walked over to the chair by her bedside and sat down. Little did she know this wouldn't be the first night he stayed by her side. He had nodded off in the same chair quite a few times when she was unconscious while keeping a close eye on her.

His presence comforted her and she fell asleep almost instantly. He watched her eyes fade until they remained closed signifying she had fallen asleep. It made him uneasy because it reminded him of when she was unconscious and he didn't know if she would ever wake up again, so he fought to stay awake to keep a watchful eye on her for as long as he could before his own body fought him, demanding he fall asleep as well. He started to sink down in his chair and slowly faded.

Two hours went by and he was abruptly awoken by the sound of Elena having a nightmare that was causing her to toss and turn which was hurting her wounded body, but not enough to jostle her awake. He tried holding her hand and stroking it to calm her but it had little effect. Concerned and also exhausted himself, he crawled into bed next to her and put his body up against hers to stop her from thrashing around. Feeling the warmth of his body subconsciously, she rolled into him and put her head on his chest and her hand over his heart. Nate was taken off guard at first, but then the familiar feel of her body on his allowed them both to relax into one another and fall into a deep sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Uncharted Fan-fiction

Chapter Five: Aftermath

Nathan opened his eyes and awoke slowly after sleeping a dreamless sleep. It was the first time since he could remember that he slept well and felt rested.

He blinked a few times to clear the morning haze from his eyes. It wasn't until he looked down that he realized he had a sleeping Elena wrapped up in his arms. He barely remembered how he had gotten into this position as he was exhausted and half asleep at the time.

He could feel the rise and fall of her breath on his chest. She was warm and looked so peaceful, he didn't want to wake her. She needed a good night's sleep just as much as he did.

He had never had the time to really look at her. They were always on the move dodging bullets and running for cover. He gently brushed the hair from her face with his finger and tucked it behind her ear, causing her to stir a little.

He was startled by her movement and quickly decided he shouldn't be found with her like this when she woke up. He slid out from underneath her carefully, making sure her head found the pillow instead of where it had formally been resting on his chest. He began to walk away when...

"Nate?" Elena slowly blinked her eyes awake and saw him walking away.

He turned around and slowly walked over to her as if he hadn't just slept in her bed with her all night. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

"Like I need to get out of this bed already" she motioned to get up, but her body was not used to the movement and angrily fought back causing her to shake and cry out in pain. She was able to get herself to sit upright and began to force one of her legs down towards the floor in an attempt to stand. Her muscles had atrophied from lack of use and she stumbled instantly and began to fall.

Nate's quick reflexes took over and he ran over to her in time to catch her before she hit the ground. "Hey hey hey, take it easy alright?"

"Damn it!" she shouted in frustration with her disability.

"Hey, it's okay, you're okay" he tried to calm her as he could see she was getting upset. His voice was sympathetic and soft towards her, he could tell she was having a hard time acknowledging her weakened state. He helped her up and she pushed him off of her, determined to walk on her own. She stumbled again trying to take the first step and Drake grabbed her before she could fall even slightly.

"Here" he offered his arm for support "Let me at least help you get started".

She begrudgingly took hold of the explorer's upper arm with both hands and thought to herself * _Woah, his bicep muscle is huge_!* It made sense after all the climbing he's done as a treasure hunter.

He was patient with her as she took her time putting one foot in front of the other. It was as if she was learning how to walk all over again. When she stumbled, he would lift her up and encourage her. He'd say things like "You've got this" and "I know you can do it". The doctor's had prescribed a time table that was progressive stating how long she was to have physical therapy each day and how long she was to rest. Nathan and Elena continued this routine together for the next week. He would report every morning to help her out of bed and work on her physical therapy together and help her back to bed when she was to rest.

 _*One week later*_

It was dusk and the sun had just begun to paint the sky an array of yellow, orange, and pink. The silhouettes of birds passing through the mountains danced upon on the ground. Nate had been ruminating over his conversations with Schafer while Tenzin prayed a ritual around Schafer's memorial. He was deep in his thoughts asking himself if he had done the right thing and if he was a good man when Chloe walked over and engaged him in a conversation.

"So…it's been a long, strange trip hasn't it?" she pulled him from his thoughts.

"Yes it has. Y'know you should play the hero more often, it suits you"

"Nah." she replied after pausing to think about it only for a split second. "Tell me something Nate" she had to ask him.

"What?" he had no idea what she was going to say next.

"Do you love her?" she motioned to where Elena had been staying.

It was a question he never really asked himself. He tended to shove his feelings aside and replace them with sarcasm. He was taken back, a surge of emotions coursed through him all at once; shock, confusion, fear, guilt, all of which left him momentarily speechless until he realized he had unintentionally hurt Chloe ever since they ran into Elena in Nepal.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. I -"

"No. It's fine. Really, it's alright. Just do yourself a favor, cowboy. Tell her" she directed his attention to Elena easing her way down the stairs with Sully. Elena was fighting his help the entire way down insisting she could do it on her own.

He thought about what she had said for a short second. "Chloe -"

"No" she patted his face twice "My turn to walk away. But admit it...you're gonna miss this ass" as she walked away he chuckled once with a side smile remembering the scandalous part of his relationship with Chloe and felt resolved closing that chapter in his life. He turned around to Elena walking over with Sully holding onto his arm.

"Well, look who's not supposed to be out of bed" he poked humor at her knowing her prescribed schedule and that this was a time she was supposed to be resting.

"Yeah" Sully took the cigar out of his mouth and held it in his hand. "She's a lousy patient. Stubborn as all hell".

"I'm not stubborn I'm just restless" she pushed his arm away from her so that she was standing on her own.

"So, no giant sapphire" Sully said.

"Once again, no" Nate replied.

"And you're sure of that?"

"Yes" Elena chimed in.

"Just a metaphor I'm afraid" Nate shook his head slightly.

"Metaphor ain't gonna pay your bills, kid" Sully returned his cigar to his mouth.

"Eh something else will come along...just gotta have faith" he offered his arm out to Elena as he could see she was using all her energy to stand by herself. She wrapped her arm under and around his for support.

"Yeah, that and a quarter will get you twenty-five cents" Nate smiled at yet another one of Sully's terrible jokes. He loved him for it.

"Uh, which way did Chloe go?" he didn't stop after his bad joke. Nate pointed in her direction. "See ya later" Sully waved and turned around to find Chloe.

"Oh, no..." Elena realized what he was up to.

"You're a dirty old man Sullivan" Nate remarked. It wasn't the first time they had this conversation. "Uh-huh" Sully replied as they parted ways.

Nate and Elena walked over to Schafer's memorial and he sighed and looked down in his hand. He had been holding the necklace pendant Schafer had given him when he told him he had to believe.

Seeing his internal struggle, Elena said "You did good Nate". He stepped down and placed the pendant at the foot of the memorial. "I think he'd approve" she could tell it was hard for him.

"Yeah?" he looked at her in disbelief.

"Mm-hm". she shook her head yes confidently.

They walked slowly towards the edge of the mountainside. "So where do we go from here, huh?" Elena had been thinking about this for quite some time considering the way they had left things off after they had found El Dorado together. It was always the elephant in the room when it came to the two of them.

He had thought about what Chloe said to him and what Sully had said before her. Never before has a girl made him feel the way she does. Like he has purpose. He grew up fending for himself and only looking out for himself most of the time, just trying to get by. Then he met and partnered up with Sully who was in it mainly for the treasure at first until they began to develop a strong bond and became best friends. Then Elena came into his life and she became like his moral compass, directing his heart to a place where it felt right for the first time.

When he looks at her, he feels more alive than ever, like someone finally understands him to his core, not just the smart ass act everyone else sees on the outside. She calls him out on his bullshit and he loves her for it, yet he couldn't ever bring himself to tell her.

He turned to look at her, she was staring directly into his eyes. Her eyes sparkled causing his heart to skip a beat, but he was unable to look away. The setting sun bounced off her hair and radiated a golden blonde. The more he looked at her the harder it was to resist his now uncontrollable desire. His heart pounded in his chest as she looked longingly at him awaiting his response. "I don't know…" he said coyly and acted on his impulse, pulling her close to him and embracing her lips with his in a passionate, but tender kiss. His mouth felt warm on hers, his lips surprisingly softer than she had expected. It threw her off guard.

He pulled away, not wanting to overdo it and scare her away. He wanted it to be different with her this time. She looked confused. "I haven't thought that far ahead" he chuckled awkwardly in response to her confusion.

"Of course not", she joined in his awkward chuckle acknowledging the part of his personality that was always thinking on the fly, never planning ahead. "But then again, neither have I" she reassured him that it was okay he was that way.

"Good" he said, feeling relieved. She held his hand and walked backwards so she could face him and look at him while he walked forwards.

"So, on a scale of one to ten how scared were you that I was gonna die?"

The truth? The truth was there was no way to rate how scared he was on a numerical scale. Seeing her get hit by the grenade, carrying her out of a crumbling Shambhala and feeling her body go limp in his arms and the life drain out of her, seeing her covered in blood, waiting by her bedside for her to wake up wondering if she ever would, watching her fight for her life each day, panicking when she was convulsing thinking that was it, every time wondering what the last thing he said to her was and if he would ever get the chance to tell her how he really felt about her. The truth was he had never been more scared in his entire life.

But Drake would never admit that to her. "Four" he lied.

"Four?!" she pushed his arm away from her and looked up at him aghast.

"Yeah, why?"

"A four." she attempted again in disbelief.

"Yeah." he remained steadfast to his lie.

"You were at least an eight"

"An eight?"

"You were a total eight"

"An eight?! Those guardian things were an eight!" he knew he was really pushing it now.

"Are you kidding me?"

"Yeah, those were terrifying!"

"Then what's a ten?!"

"Clowns." he shrugged and made something up on the fly.

She took a step back "Clowns over my death?"

"I – I hate clowns" he turned away from her a looked out towards the mountains. He had to maintain his lie and looking at her made it harder.

"Clowns? Oh my word, you thought I was dead"

"No" he put his arm around her.

"No, you thought I was gone"

"No"

"Yes you did"

"No, I had you all along"

"I saw you shed tears, you shed a bunch of 'em"

"Tears?" that part he knew to be true, but he had to convince her otherwise.

"Mm-hm"

"It was raining" he lied again to hide the very real tears he shed.

"No it was not"

"You were unconscious and it was raining" he used her being unconscious to his advantage.

"It was totally sunny out and you were bawling"

"It wasn't sunny and you were unconscious"

"Whatever. I kept your tears in a jar. I have proof"

"I'll give you a five, how's that?"

 _ **The end.**_


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